Pipe handling apparatus



April 24, 1934. R. L. CARPENTER PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 10. 193?. 2 Sheets-Sheet l 61H0: un, 5

April 24, 1934. RF CARPENTER 1,956,147

PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS Filed May 10 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented pr. 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PIPE HANDLING APPARATUS Roy L. Carpenter, Humble, Tex. Application May 10, 1932, Serial No. 610,510

claims. (o1. 214-1) l 4 This invention relates to pipe handling apthe anchor board 5. The hinge forming this conparatus. nection is formed of the hinge plates 9, the

An object of the invention is to provide apformer of which is secured to the foot board 8 paratus of the character described specially deand the latter of which is pivoted to work on a signed for use in connection with the carrying vertical axis by means of the pivot pin 11 which 60 on of well drilling operations and by the use of works through a vertical bearing in the plate which the drill stem,orother pipe to be made 10 and in the anchor board 5 and is retained in up and let down into the well bore or to be broken place by the head 12 on one end and by the nut up in withdrawing the same from the bore, may 13 on the other end. The adjacent ends of the w be more expeditiously and easily handled. boards 5, 8 are formed to abut as shown in Fig- 65 Another object of the invention is to provide ure 2 when the foot board 8 is in horizontal poapparatus of the character described to be sition so as to maintain said last mentioned board mounted on the fourble boardof the derrick in said position. The foot board 8 may be thus and by the use of which the workmen on said elevated or swung horizontally toward the board may readily handle the pipe stacked, or stacked pipe as hereinafter explained and to per- 73 to be stacked, in the derrick. mit this horizontal movement the corresponding With the above and other objects in view the inner corner of the anchor board 5 is beveled off invention has particular relation, to certain novel as at 14.

features of construction, operation and arrange- On opposite sides of the foot board 8 are the ment of parts, an example of which is given in pipe retaining arms 15, 15 whose outer ends are 75 this specication and illustrated in the accompivoted to said foot board and whose inner ends panying -drawings wherein: E A are inwardly curved as at 16, 16 to partially en- Figure 1 shows a plan view of the apparatus gage about the pipe, or drill stem 17 to be hanas mounted and applied to the pipe, said pipe dled. The outer end of the foot board 8 between being shown in section. said arms 15, has an arcuate formation to con- Se Figure 2 shows a side elevation thereof. form to the contour of the pipe and is provided Figure 3 shows a sectional view taken on the with antifriction bearings 18 to minimize the line 3 3 of Figure 2. friction between the pipe and the foot board.

Figure 4 shows a fragmentary side elevation 'I'he arms 15 are connected by a pull spring 19.

ofv a derrick showing the apparatus mounted Thereis a cam plate 20, preferably rectangular 55 therein and in form which pivots about a vertical axis and is Figure 5 shows a transverse sectional view retained in place by the pivot pin 21, which taken on the line 5-5-01 Figure 4. extends through said cam plate and through foot Referring now more particularly to the drawboard 8 beneath and is retained in place by a ings wherein like numerals of, reference desigsuitable head on one end and nut on the other 93. nate similar parts in each of the figures the nuend. meral 1 designates the derrick having the four- There is a pedal support 22 whose forward end ble board 2 arranged transversely across the deris suitably anchored to the cam plate 20 and a rick at one side at the required elevation and pedal 23 is hinged to move only on a horizontal which forms a platform. for the support of a axis on said pedal plate by asuitable hinge 24. workman. Secured to the forward end of the pedal 23 On the fourble board and suitably secured underneath, there is a transverse yoke 25 having, thereto are the oppositely arranged spaced the downwardly turned ends 26, 26 adapted to brackets 3, 3 whose inner margins are elevated engage over the clamp arms 15 to secure them and formed with .the inside confronting tracks in engaging relation with the pipe 17, but which 100 4,v 4rwherein the anchor board 5 vis slidably maybe disengaged from said arms by an apmounted to move radially relative to the well propriate movement of the pedal 23 to permit said bore. arms to be spread apart and engaged around This anchor board has a laterally extending the section of the pipe to be handled.

o stop 6, secured thereto which projects into a lon- When a string of pipe is being withdrawn from 155 gitudinal notch 7 in the inner margin of the adthe Well through the rotary drilling machine 27 jacent bracket 3 whereby the range of radial on the derrick oor it will be broken up into movement of the anchor board 5 may be limited. what is commonlT knOWn aS fourbles and these The numeral 8 designates the foot board which. will be stacked adjacent the side of the derrick .H is hinged at its outer end to the inner end of and against the fourble board 2 in the usual 110 sri manner as illustrated in Figure 5. When stacked the broken up sections of the pipe or drill stem assume an inclined position relative to the vertical as shown in Figure 5. When it is desired to make up the string of pipe and let itdown into the well, an elevator is elevated by a traveling block in the well known manner and engaged about the upper end of a section by the workman on the board 2 and the engaged section is then further .elevated clear of the derrick floor and if the elevator is engaged on the pipe section while said section is in a leaning or inclined position when the lower end of the section clears the oor of the derrick the section will be started to swing back and forth and will be difllcult and more or less dangerous to handle. With the apparatus hereinabove described the section of the pipe to be engaged by the elevator may be readily 'swung by the workman on the board 2 into a more nearly vertical position and the elevater may be more easily by him engaged about said section and when the section is elevated it will not be liable to swing back and forth and may be more easily and safely Ihandled by the workman on the derrick oor and more easily attached to the section of pipe beneath which is swung suspended from the' rotary drilling machine in the well. V

In use the anchor board 5 will normally be in its outer position as shown in Figure 1 with the yoke 25 elevated to release the arms l5 and with the cam plate 20 swung into diagonal position as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 so as to hold the arms l5 apart. The workman on the board 2- may then select a length or section of pipe and swing it outwardly from the stack and with his foot`on the pedal 23 may swing the foot board 8 around into the proper position and' then swing the selected section of pipe into position between the outer ends of the arms l5-and may then turn the pedal 23 to release the cam plate 20 from the arms 15 and said arms will then be swung inwardly around the pipe by the pull spring 19. In accomplishing this engagement of the apparatus with the pipe the foot board 8 may be swung upwardly as shown in Figure 4 for a more ready engagement and when engaged, may be swung 'down and around to carry the engaged pipe outwardly toward the center of the derrick and the workman may then move the entire apparatus with the engaged pipe out further'toward said center, the anchor board sliding in the grooves or tracks 4 and While accomplishing this work the workman on` the platform or board 2 may also engage the elevators about the section of pipe and may simultaneously swing the pedal 23 about its pivotal mounting toA operate the cam plate 20 whereby the arms 15, 15 will be spread to release the pipe so that the pipe may swing outwardly clear of the apparatus for attachment to the string suspended in the bore beneath.

In withdrawing a string of pipe from the well and breaking it up and stacking it in the derrick the apparatus may also be used in an advantageous manner and in carrying on this work when a section to be broken out is elevated within reach of the workman on the board 2 the apparatus may be manipulated in an obvious manner `to engage the arms 15 about the section of pipe while said arms are held apart by the cam plate 20 and said cam plate may then be released as hereinabove explained to 'cause the arms 15 to engage the pipe and the broken out section may then be swung over into position against the stack and thearrns 15 then relased vand the foot board 8 then manually elevated to clear the stacked section and swung around into position .in readiness for engagement with the next succeeding section to be broken out. p

The drawings and description disclose what is now considered to be a preferred form of theinvention by way of illustration only while the broad principle of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the character described adapted to be mounted on an elevated support in a derrick and including a horizontally movable anchor, means for limiting the range of movement of said anchor, a foot piece mounted for vertical and horizontal movement on said anchor, means on said foot piece adapted to engage a pipe'in the derrick and means on the foot piece and under the control of an operator for releasing said engaging means from the engaged pipe.

2. A device of the character described adapted to be mounted on an elevated support in a derrick and including a horizontally movable anchor, means fo'r limiting the range of movement of said anchor, a foot piece mounted for vertical and horizontal movement on said anchor, means on said foot piece adapted to engage a pipe in the derrick, means for maintaining said engaging means in engaged position and means on the foot piece and under the control of an operator for releasing said engaging means from the engaged plpe.

3. A device of the character described adapted to be mounted on an elevated support in a derrick and including an anchor, a foot piece mounted for vertical and horizontal movement on the anchor, pipe engaging arms pivoted on said foot piece, a pedal on said foot piece means operable by the pedal and engageable with said arms for holding the arms in non-engaging position and means on the pedal and movable thereby into engagement with the arms to hold said arms in engagement with the pipe.

4. A device of the character described adapted to be mounted on an elevated support in a derrick and including an anchor mounted to move approximately horizontally on said support, a footboard mounted for vertical and lateral movement on said anchor, pipe retaining arms pivoted at one end on said footboard and whose other ends are shaped to engage about a pipe, means yieldingly connecting said arms, a cam member on the footboard mounted to pivot on an approximately vertical axis between said arms, a pedal support'on said cam, a pedal mounted on said pedal support to pivot on an approximately horizontal axis. 5. A device of the character described adapted to be mounted on an elevated Support in a derrick and including an anchor mounted to move approximately horizontally on said support, a footboard mounted for vertical and lateral movement on said anchor, pipe retaining arms pivoted at one end on said footboard, and whose other ends are shaped to engage about a pipe, means yieldingly connecting said arms, a cam member on the footboard mounted to pivot on an approximately vertical axis between said arms, a pedal support on said cam, a pedal mounted on said pedal support to pivot on an approximately ROY L. CARPENTER, 

